Thousands of rail passengers in Devon will suffer hours of delays and cancellations in the next month as bridge-strikes reach their peak, with new figures revealing that at this time of year there are more incidents than any other time of year.

In the Westcountry, there have been 16 bridge strikes - when a lorry that's too big hits a low bridge - in the last six months, contributing to a £23m cost to the taxpayer in damages and delays with each incident causing a two-hour delay on average.

Research suggests there could be more bridge strikes in the region in the next month, which could be owing to the hour change and increased deliveries ahead of Christmas.

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The new data and significant impact on the railway that bridge strikes have has led to Network Rail launching a new 'bridge bash' campaign aimed at HGV drivers and haulage companies.

Network Rail’s campaign aims to use eye catching straplines such as 'What the truck' and 'Lorries can't limbo' and involves engaging the haulage and public transport industries, fitting steel beams on rail bridges, working with local authorities and calling for stricter enforcement of penalties for drivers when strikes do happen.

Network Rail says it has been working across the industry, getting key players onboard and banging the drum about the issue to stop strikes before they happen.

The rail infrastructure company has already started to raise awareness of the issue by liaising with logistics companies and working with trade bodies such as the Road Haulage Association with the aim of drastically reducing these incidents.

Following months of research into why strikes happen, the campaign will be launched to all key players in the haulage industry calling on them to challenge their drivers to ‘check it, rather than chance it’ running until April next year.

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A lorry became wedged under a bridge at Honiton Road, Exeter, in August (Image: Jamie Hawkins)

Kevin Laidlaw, senior asset engineer, from Network Rail said: "Bridge strikes are a huge burden on the rail and road systems, as well as on the taxpayer, so we are working with key influencers in the industry to reduce the number of these easily-avoidable incidents.

"The Westcountry has seen a considerable number of bridge strikes in the last six months causing inconvenience to thousands of people travelling in the region and beyond.

"We need HGV drivers travelling through the Westcountry and their employers to get on board with our initiative and make bridge strikes a thing of the past."